Letters

Statements in the local media have represented House Bill 145 as something that only union shills could vote against. However, anyone that has followed the use of adjunct faculty in education should understand that there are actually serious reasons why one might not vote for it, at least in its current form.
Prior to my retirement from a 15-year stint as a university department chair, I often hired adjunct instructors to meet our teaching needs, so I am quite familiar with “the good, the bad and the ugly” of this process. Adjunct instructors on limited-term contracts can be hired to fill a short-term vacancy due to a regular teaching faculty member taking a leave, to offer a specialty course to provide students with a broader educational experience, or to replace a tenured faculty member at a lower salary and with fewer paid benefits.

According to a recent newspaper article, you are considering an ordinance requiring homeowners to shovel snow from sidewalks in front of their homes within 24 hours of a snowfall.
I have no problem with such an ordinance, as I always try to shovel my walks as soon as possible after a snowfall.
However, I am really tired of sometimes having to shovel my sidewalks as many as three or four times because of snowplows repeatedly plowing the snow back onto the sidewalks.
And, as you may or may not know, shoveling the snow packed by the snowplow is much more difficult than shoveling the original snowfall.
I would therefore like to request that, if you pass an ordinance requiring snow removal within 24 hours, you include a provision requiring that snowplows must plow far enough away from the curb so as not to plow snow back up onto the sidewalks after they have been shoveled clear of snow.
Thank you.
Roger Ferenbaugh
Los Alamos

Turkish journalist, ‘brother’ detained for unknown charges

The letter below was emailed to me from a Turkish journalist who has been a colleague of Sahin Alpay, my “Turkish brother” who lived with my family in California in the ‘60s.

Labor Day is the time when we recognize the social and economic achievements of American workers, but the fight for economic equality is far from over. Only 13 percent of American workers have access to paid leave through their employer. Two-thirds of minimum wage workers in the U.S. are women, and their income remains below the federal poverty line. Couple this with the fact a woman working full time on average still only makes 79 cents to a white, non-Hispanic man’s dollar. It’s easy to see that we still have work to do.
As Election Day approaches, it’s important for all voters to educate themselves on where candidates, both state and federal, stand on worker issues. I encourage everyone to utilize the American Association of University Women Action Fund’s (AAUW) 2016 voter guides, which provide a breakdown of where candidates in congressional, gubernatorial and presidential races stand on issues impacting women and families, such as minimum wage, equal pay, paid leave, and many others (aauwaction.org/voter-education/voter-guides/).

An article or letter appeared in the Aug. 22 Monitor entitled ‘For critics of the Iran nuclear deal...’ I wish to comment.
I worked at IAEA headquarters in Vienna 1998-2003. I also worked with the Safeguards Department of the IAEA for over 33 years from LANL. My field was nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation. In addition to helping develop nuclear material measurement systems, I helped set up a measurement-training program for their safeguards inspectors. This has been part of every inspector’s initial training since 1979. I retired in 2007, but the program continues and has grown substantially. It was even featured in a six- to seven-minute Morning Edition article on NPR-KUNM several months ago. Ambassadors, senators, and representatives now come to LANL to learn about IAEA safeguards and the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). This includes all the inspectors who go to Iran. I know many of these folk and have participated in their training at LANL and the IAEA.
I’ve read the NPT many times and helped facility and governmental personnel in many countries to develop and write the various required documents after signing the NPT. LANL also ran a course in cooperation with the IAEA and U.S. State Department in IAEA-NPT safeguards from 1990 to 2006.

One answer:
I don’t need to go to church and I need that time to get ready for the coming week. I am a very busy person and I need that time to relax and take care around the house..
Another answer:
Church people are hypocritical and don’t live up to their standards. I can teach my own children about morals and right and wrong. As I find time.
And another answer;
What’s the see if GOD is all knowing, all seeing and all powerful why does he allow mayhem, sickness, poverty and war, what good is a church?
In White Rock Presbyterian Church we don’t pretend to be perfect and we are constantly questioning ourselves, hopefully learning from the words of Jesus Christ. We believe in resurrection and no one can enter into heaven except through Jesus, who took the blame for our transgressions. Without Christ, we are committed to carry a full measure of all our wrongdoing forever. Forgiveness allows us to be free of guilt.

A new theory advanced by Charles Bowman that a hydrogen deflagration caused the 2014 Waste Isolation Pilot Plant accident is implausible. It contains errors and omissions that should be corrected.
I spent most of my 30-plus years of corporate experience dealing with TRU waste. As the manager of the Los Alamos National Laboratory plutonium analysis section, I had hands-on generation of portions of LANL’s TRU waste. Under contract to Sandia National Lab, I led a LANL team to conduct many lab experiments on alpha radiolytic gas generation of TRU waste under conditions expected at WIPP. Al Zerwekh, mentioned by Bowman, was a member of this team. This was followed by my working in LANL’s TRU waste management operations developing strategies to work off LANL’s TRU waste inventory based on its characteristics. I am a LANL retiree – “Class of 2005.”

If you live in the Western Area, you’ve heard the high school band back at work, football practice has started, and a school supply list is up at Smith’s. This part of the summer must be getting us ready for Back to School.
Los Alamos Public School Retired employees are invited to the organization’s only yearly meeting at the NOT-Back-to-School Breakfast Aug. 18.
Breakfast is at 9 a.m. and will be at Kelly Hall of Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church. At the request of attendees last year, a more full protein-based breakfast will be available. The cost this year is $11 per person.
RSVPs must be in well before midnight Aug. 15, along with your request for the lighter breakfast or the protein-based meal. Contact Emily Engle (larse@ieee.org) or Eileen Trujillo (662-6533, etrueheo@gmail.com). Contact me with your e-mail if you haven’t already (drummer@rt66.com).
Judy Crocker
Los Alamos

Thank you for support for this year’s Chalk Walk

The Los Alamos Arts Council hosted the seventh-annual Secretary Sandoval Chalk Walk again this year.

Kudos to the Los Alamos Fire Department for the handling of the North Mesa fire. Their quick and skillful response prevented what could have been a disastrous situation with the current dry conditions. I wish to convey a personal thank you to all of the firefighters who did an outstanding job.
Carol Bronisz
Los Alamos

BPU should consider free market economic forces for setting rates

Regarding the setting of (gas) rates, the Board of Public Utilities appears to have ignored the importance of free market economic forces.
With a commodity rate, these forces can act to reduce consumption when prices are high due to supply limits. Their efficacy depends on the elasticity of demand, but turning down thermostats on hot water tanks and furnaces is not difficult compared to, say, buying a more efficient automobile. With a fixed rate, however, consumers have no impetus to conserve in times of shortages.
It would be very disappointing if the BPU did not consider this aspect of rate-setting at all; the report in the Monitor makes no reference to any such discussion.
Terry Goldman
Los Alamos

Police actions in Ferguson, MO; New York City, Baltimore, Baton Rouge and Minnesota have been in the news, and a few police officers have been seen using excessive force and shooting people. I believe a small number of police officers use excessive force, and these officers should be held accountable for their actions.
The vast majority of police officers diligently do their duty and treat criminals and suspects with respect. Unfortunately, police officers are being vilified and attacked because of a few over-zealous officers. The result is police officers can be hesitant to take actions that could possibly be construed as too forceful, and thereby criminals are emboldened to commit violence. Unfortunately, this could have been the situation leading to the murder of the Dallas police officers. And, by the way, why aren’t people on the streets protesting the killing of the five Dallas police officers?
The ramifications of hesitation by police officers in doing their jobs can place their lives in jeopardy and have a negative effect on public safety.
We need to support our police officers who risk their lives every day to keep us safe.
Donald Moskowitz
Londonderry, NH

I was honored to attend The Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony held at the Santa Fe Veteran’s Memorial on Saturday, June 18. New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services, New Mexico State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America, Northern Mew Mexico Chapter 996, the American Legion Riders Chapter 25, the Santa Fe National Cemetery and Josetta Rodriguez did a wonderful job in putting this event together.
Eloquent and passionate speeches were given by State Rep. Bob Wooley, Dist. 66, who co-chairs the Military and Veteran’s Affairs Legislative Committee, and John Garcia, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and former Cabinet Secretary of New Mexico Veterans Services.
Both Vietnam Veterans gave personal accounts of their involvement, participation and how it impacted their lives.
Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales gave thanks and recognition for all who served.
After the ceremony, Vietnam War veterans were presented with a certificate of appreciation by the Department of Veterans’ Services for their service during the war and were also given a special 50th anniversary commemorative pin.